106     |    DestinMagazine.com

Children in Crisis, Inc.

T

here is nothing more pure in life 

than a child. In 2002, a critical 

need in the four-county area of 

Northwest Florida was identified. 

Over 1,400 children were entering the foster 

care system each year with only 250 licensed 

foster homes. Sharilyn Darnell led a group of 

community supporters in pursuit of solving 

this dire issue. Due to this severe shortage of 

homes, brother and sister sibling families were 

being separated, and very often children were 

being moved from home to home. When many 

looked the other way, these individuals rose 

to the challenge to make a real difference in 

the world and to change these children’s lives. 

Children in Crisis, (CIC), was incorporated 

in 2003 as a local non-profit, 501(c)(3) charity 

to raise and manage funding to build, staff 

and operate a residential style neighborhood 

of foster homes. Their slogan is “Providing 

Homes…Keeping Brothers and Sisters 

Together” and that just what they do.

CIC kicked off a capital campaign in January 

2005 and Ken Hair joined as the Executive 

Director/President and CEO later that year. 

The formation of CIC was truly a labor of love 

with assistance coming from many different 

avenues. Northwest Florida State College gave 

CIC a charity lease on a 20-acre site in Fort 

Walton Beach. This plot of land would soon 

become the site of the CIC Neighborhood, 

with construction beginning in 2006. In 2008 

the Susanna Wesley Emergency Shelter and 

Blessings family foster homes were opened, 

providing homes to so many deserving 

children. The streets of the neighborhood are 

paved with generosity and joy; the homes are 

filled with caring and love. Along the way, 

CIC added the Aunt “Bill” Spence playground 

and the Charles Davis Rigdon pavilion to 

the community. In the following years CIC 

opened more family foster homes including 

the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation, 

(DCWAF)/Sue, Sue’s Cottage, the DCWAF/

Ya-Ya’s Home, the DCWAF/Travis Tringas 

Memorial Home, the Ty Autry Pennington 

Memorial Home, the DCWAF Opportunity 

Teen Home, Tommy Sandefur Kids’ Club 

Recreation Center and the Dugas Family 

Foundation Neighborhood Center. 

Over the years CIC has grown into a life 

changing organization in the Northwest 

Florida community. Ken Hair describes, 

“The biggest moment that has stood out in 

the last year is definitely that we reached the 

significant milestone of giving a loving home 

to over 650 children since opening the first 

home in 2008. However, I must mention a 

couple of other big moments, too. We opened 

the Ty Autry Pennington memorial home 

in September and the Destin Charity Wine 

Auction Foundation continued their wonderful 

support to our children living at the CIC 

Neighborhood by reaching the $1,880,000 

mark – truly amazing!” CIC is extremely 

involved within the community, always 

reaching out a helping hand to others and 

supporting fellow local charities as well. The 

members of CIC make it their mission to keep 

their organization and the importance of giving 

a home to a child very visible throughout 

Northwest Florida. Every single child deserves 

a safe, loving home and CIC is bringing this 

awareness into the community. “Phase II of 

the Neighborhood construction is underway 

but as we build more homes, we’ll continue to 

need more funding to feed, clothe and care for 

the increased number of children and sustain 

neighborhood operations. This is the most 

giving community anywhere and I know our 

important work will be supported so that we 

can give a home to more children in need,” 

said Hair. As CIC thrives, they will continue 

to make a significant difference in the lives of 

hundreds of children far into the future. 

For additional information, visit

www.childrenincrisisfl .org.

story by

 

Courtney Murray

 | 

photos provided by

 

provided by Children in Crisis, Inc.

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